Many animals, including humans, under certain conditions exhibit a low immune function level and/or an inability to provide the necessary or beneficial amounts of formed blood elements in the blood. In addition, a number of diseases such as Felty's syndrome for example, can cause the same phenomenon to be observed. And, of course, in therapeutic regimens using chemotherapuetic and/or radiation therapy, one of the deleterious side effects is the myelosuppression and/or immunosuppression caused by these therapeutic regimens. Thus, regimens of the chemotherapeutic and/or radiation therapy mode are frequently limited by the myelosuppression and/or immunosuppression toxicity factor. Likewise, in many diseases, suppression of the formed blood elements content of the blood is an effect of the disease which can be as serious, if not more so, than the other effects of said diseases.
It is known that certain lithium compounds tend to counteract the myelosuppression, immunosuppression and/or neutropenia caused by a number of diseases and the regimens encompassing chemotherapeutic and/or radiation therapies. For example, see "Lithium Effects on Granulopoiesis and Immune Function", Rossof and Robinson, Plenum Press (1979), pages 79-144. The problem with using lithium compounds, however, is that the therapeutic index is too narrow.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to enhance the immune response and/or the formed blood elements content of the blood in warm blooded mammals, by administering an effective amount of a water and/or lipid soluble tertiary or quaternary ammonium compound having parasympathomimetic effect at physiologic pH to said mammalian host in cases where disease and/or radiation and/or chemotherapy is causing, has caused or may cause myelosuppression and/or neutropenia, an inhibition of granulopoiesis, and/or a dimunition of immune function. In addition, it is also an object of the present invention to provide a method whereby a water and/or lipid soluble tertiary or quaternary ammonium compound can be used in an effective amount as an adjuvant to chemotherapuetic and/or radiation therapy regimens such that myelosuppression and/or immunosuppression caused by these regimens is decreased. This may allow the use of larger doses of radiation and/or drug therapy or more frequent dosage regimens and/or more quickly restoring the immune, myelopoietic and/or granulopoietic functions of mammalian patients undergoing such regimens.